Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/94

Contributor - Ken Ramsey

Title - The Priesthood of all Believers

Topic - Priesthood of Believers

Martin Luther was a remarkable man whom God endowed with remarkable gifts. He combined in his person the translating ability of William Tyndale, the musical brilliance of Charles Wesley, the thundering preaching of C.H. Spurgeon, the fervency of prayer of Jonathan Edwards and the warm, pastoral heart of John Calvin. Yet for all his gifts, Luther had the humility to know that at the same time he was but a wretched sinner, saved by grace alone. And so when people started calling his followers "Lutherans" he was horrified. He wrote, "The first thing I ask is that people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone.. How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by own name?"

A recent issue of Tabletalk (October 1992); the magazine produced by R.C. Sproul's Ligonier ministries, focused on the life and work of Luther. In an article entitled "Legacy for the Laity", professor Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School suggested that after his translation of the Bible, the second greatest gift of Luther to the common man was his rediscovery of the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. George says, "Luther broke decisively with the traditional division of the church into two classes, clergy and laity... The priestly status is the common property of all Christians, not the special prerogative of a select caste of holy men. It is a priesthood which derives directly from Christ. Luther said, "we are priests as He is Priest, sons as He is Son, kings as He is King". This rediscovery took place when Luther looked to the inspired witness of Peter and John. What he found there, some 475 years ago, we find today. The Apostle Peter tells us that those chosen in Christ are a "royal priesthood, a holy nation" (I Peter 2:9). The beloved disciple tells us that Jesus Christ has freed us from our sins and has "made us to be a kingdom and priest to serve his God and Father" (Revelation 1:6). But what does it mean to be a priest to the Lord? What are the privileges that go along with this office? What are the responsibilities?

Perhaps it will be easier to start by defining what the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers does not assert. It does not mean that the individual Christian, as a priest of the Lord, is entitled to believe whatever he or she wants to believe. Nor does it mean that my beliefs and yours are equally true, as long as they happen to be held with equal sincerity. The fact is this: Some beliefs must be held by the Christian at all times and in all places. Some beliefs must not be held under any circumstances. Some beliefs a Christian may or may not hold. What must every priest of the living God, that is to say, every Christian believe? Three things: 1) The greatness of his sin and wretchedness; 2) How in Christ he is made free from all his sins and their wretched consequences; and 3) What gratitude is owed to God for such redemption (H.C. Q&A 2).

Let me illustrate. In England recently an Anglican priest was fired by his bishop. The reason? The man did not believe in God. (You should not be surprised at this. There are any number of such unbelieving priests described in the Bible.) As a result of his dismissal, protests from 65 clergymen flooded into the office of the bishop. In the protesters' eyes, the firing of the renegade priest was an affront to the traditional Anglican value of tolerance. The truth is, of course, that the fired priest is simply not a Christian priest. He is a priest who worships at a different altar. The same is true of the 65 clergymen who came to his defense. The same is true of all who profess the name of Christ but do not possess true faith in His gracious, saving work, whether ordained or not. They do not believe what all members of the royal priesthood must believe. To be priests in the household of God is necessarily, first and foremost, to be a priest of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

So what, then, must every priest of the Lord do? It is the awesome privilege of all believers to serve the Lord Jesus Christ alone. This is done as the Christian offers his or her life to God - a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. Paul put it like this to the church in Rome: "Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship."

But what does it mean to offer our bodies as living sacrifices? Fundamentally, it means that in all things we are to live with a spirit of thankfulness and praise. All that we receive from the Father's hand, whether good or evil, we are to accept with gratitude, for we know that "everything works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28) Grumbling and complaining have to go. The constant whining and pervasive sense of victimization our society encourages us to cultivate today must be put aside. How can those who have been bought from the bondage of their sin at the cost of the blood of the Lamb and been set free to serve the Lord imagine they have any genuine grievance to bring before the God? No, gratitude and trust are to be rendered to God by all His priests. God gives us grace. It is our privilege to give Him thanks.

And what of our responsibilities? Here are some day-today tasks for each of us: It is the job of everyone within the priesthood of believers to meet with God in worship and at His table. Have you prepared yourself for this meeting by repenting of your sins and calling out to God for his grace and mercy?

It is the job of all priests of the Lord to read and study the Bible. Have you spent time in the Word, joined your congregation's Adult Sunday School Class or organized a weekday Bible study?

It is the job of the priest of God to pray fervently. There are many different kinds of prayer. "ACTS" is one way to quickly recall the elements of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Let your prayers be regular, sincere and specific. Each one reading this article knows someone who is in desperate need of saving faith. Ask it of the Lord for yourself, your children, your family, your neighbours, your congregation, your community and your country.

It is the ob of the priest of God to witness to his neighhour. Have you let the love of God shine through you? Have you borne affliction cheerfully and troubles patiently? Have you shared the reasons for "the hope that you have when the opportunity last presented itself?"

What a wonderful truth it is, that the Sovereign Lord, in sheer mercy, has called to himself a priesthood of believers and has made them free in Christ to serve Him with gladness. "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." AMEN

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